by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: McCarty’s homer, patience at the plate lift Wylie to key 7-2 win over Abilene High

For most of five innings Tuesday, the Wylie and Abilene High baseball teams were locked in a thrilling pitcher’s duel, competing with playoff intensity in front of an engaged capacity crowd at Bulldog Field.

With the Eagles leading 2-1 in the home half of the fifth after George Ferguson had broken a 1-all tie with an RBI single in the top of the inning, the outcome of the key District 4-5A matchup was still very much in doubt, and a narrow win one way or the other seemed all but inevitable.

But with two outs in that frame, Wylie freshman Myles McCarty launched a game-tying home run to right field, flipping the momentum on a dime. The blast kicked off a walk-fueled five-run rally that would finally give WHS some separation in a 7-2 win for the Bulldogs.

Continue reading “GAME STORY: McCarty’s homer, patience at the plate lift Wylie to key 7-2 win over Abilene High” →

by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME REPORT: Faries dominant as Wylie softball cruises to 10-0 win over Wichita Falls Memorial

The Wylie softball team closed out the first half of District 4-5A play with a 10-0 thrashing of Wichita Falls Memorial on Tuesday night behind a stellar effort in the circle from Avie Faries.

Faries retired all nine batters that she faced in the game, recording five strikeouts, while benefiting from an offense that had six doubles in the first three innings. Faries needed just 35 pitches, including 25 strikes, to complete her easy night.

Wylie (15-12 overall, 3-1 in district) wasted no time putting the Lady Mavericks (12-10-1, 1-3) on the ropes as Faries retired Memorial in order on just 11 pitches in the first inning before the Lady Bulldogs offense got rolling with a six-run first inning — doing most of that damage with two outs in the frame.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Wall senior claims this week’s award

As one would expect, the Jim Ned Relays had a quality field of competition last week, opening the door for one of its athletes to snag Big Country Preps Player of the Week honors. 

So it’s not surprising that its top performer sits atop of our weekly list of highlighted competitors from around the area. 

Wall senior Bryson McFarden takes our weekly accolade after medaling five times in Tuscola with four golds and a silver. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Brock rallies past Abilene High for 4-2 win in nondistrict tune-up

Taking a brief break from their respective district races, the Abilene High and Brock baseball teams met for a nondistrict matchup Saturday at Blackburn Field, and the outcome was a competitive game between two league-leading squads.

AHS led 2-1 after four innings, but the visiting Eagles scored the game’s final three runs to leave Abilene with a 4-2 victory and a six-game winning streak that included a pair of run-rule wins over defending regional finalist Graham last week.

Brock (13-3 overall, 2-0 in District 6-4A) took advantage of some shaky defense by Abilene High to pull ahead with a pair of runs  in the fifth, before tacking on an insurance run in the seventh. And that late offense was all the support necessary for Austin Gallogly and Brody Burns, who earned a win and save, respectively, in relief of starter Colton Ripple.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

STATE POWERLIFTING: Martinez inducted into Hall of Honor as meet concludes

Abilene High coach Tommy Martinez played a major role in the Texas High School Powerlifting Association moving its state meet to Abilene and the Taylor County Coliseum in 2007, where it’s been for two decades and counting.

On Saturday morning, the THSPA inducted the veteran coach into their Hall of Honor before the final day of the state meet got under way.

While humbled by the recognition, Martinez was quick to deflect the credit to countless others.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High ace Reyes tosses one-hit shutout to outduel Faries in 2-0 win over Wylie

Wylie junior Avie Faries pitched a good game Friday against crosstown rival Abilene High. AHS senior Avah Reyes pitched a great one.

That was the difference as the Lady Eagles took sole possession of the District 4-5A lead with a 2-0 win on their home field.

Taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning, Reyes worked around one hit and a pair of walks to finish with a complete-game shutout, facing one batter over the minimum to outduel Faries, who allowed single runs in the third and sixth innings to take a hard-luck loss.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Loud outs not enough as Cooper falls to Wichita Falls Memorial

Cooper baseball coach Brandon Stover thought his squad made a lot of great contact on Friday night at Cougar Field in a District 4-5A matchup with Wichita Falls Memorial.

He even though it was better contact than what the Mavericks managed off starting pitcher Johnathon Rico and a trio of relievers.

But it was the Mavericks who took the rubber match of the three-game season series, 11-2, as a patient offensive approach led to nine walks — six of which came in a decisive six-run sixth inning.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Haskell makes short work of Hawley in District 8-2A showdown

HASKELL — The first time Haskell and Hawley met on the softball diamond this season, the Maidens edged the Lady Cats 7-6 in a thrilling eight-inning road win on March 9.

Flash forward to Friday in Haskell, with both teams expecting another nail-biter and the results didn’t match what was anticipated. Haskell simply overwhelmed Hawley in the rematch, ending the contest via the 15-run rule with a 19-4 win in four innings. 

Paige Scheets was 4-for-4 with a double, a homer and six RBIs and Rebekah Cunningham was 3-for-3 with a two-run homer to lead Haskell (10-6, 5-1 District 8-2A), which remains a game behind first-place Anson in the league race. 

Hawley fell to 15-8 and 3-3, missing its chance to force a second-place tie with the Maidens. The Lady Cats were led by Lily Bailey, who was 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. 

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by Evan Ren

Area Softball Stat Leaders (through March 26)

Here are the area’s softball statistical leaders through March 26:

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his or her email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Evan Ren

Area Baseball Stat Leaders (through March 26)

Here are the area’s baseball statistical leaders through March 26.

Statistics are from throughout the Big Country Preps circulation area as submitted by coaches. These lists will be continually updated as we receive more submissions. 

If your favorite team is missing, please give your head coach a friendly reminder to check his email for our weekly stat request or send Evan Ren a note at Evan.Ren@BigCountryPreps.com. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Abilene High scores early, often in 16-1 rout of Wichita Falls Legacy

Entering Tuesday with a one-game lead on Wylie for first in the District 4-5A championship race, the Abilene High baseball team took care of business against last-place Wichita Falls Legacy, riding a nine-run first inning to a 16-1 run-rule victory at Blackburn Field.

Ten Eagles players had at least one hit as AHS combined for 15 hits as a team, providing plenty of support for starter Gavin Colley, who limited Legacy to two hits and one run over four strong innings to earn the victory.

Tuesday’s outcome, which improved the Eagles to 15-5-1 overall and 5-0 in district play, added a half game to Abilene High’s lead over Wylie (14-3-1, 3-1), which is idle this week. Wichita Falls Memorial (8-13, 2-3) defeated Cooper (9-11-1, 2-3) by a 6-4 margin in Tuesday’s other league game to provide some separation for the Eagles and Bulldogs atop the district standings.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Fourth-ranked Jim Ned keeps perfect season rolling with 13-4 win over Sweetwater

SWEETWATER — While baseball superstition says that you don’t talk about perfect games or no-hitters in progress, it also says that you should celebrate lengthy winning streaks.

There’s plenty of reason to celebrate around the No. 4-ranked Jim Ned baseball team, which knocked off Sweetwater 13-4 on Tuesday evening at Sportsman Park to run its season-opening winning streak to 18 games while improving to 4-0 in District 6-3A play.

The Indians won nine of their first 17 games by at least 10 runs with only three games decided by three runs or less.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Clyde’s Reynolds is the hands-down winner

In the pitcher’s circle, there are varying degrees of perfection. And in the case of our Big Country Preps Player of the Week, that statement was fully illustrated on Friday in a 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel. 

Yes, CHS freshman Brynli Reynolds threw a perfect game. But this wasn’t your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill, garden variety perfecto. 

In fact, it may have been the most dominating performance by a baseball or softball pitcher the Big Country has seen in the last two decades. 

Aside from retiring 21 straight hitters from a very good Merkel team (19-2), Reynolds fanned the first 17 batters she faced and finished with 20 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.

It was the second time this season that the Clyde freshman has taken our weekly accolade.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Gruben, Hutchings dominate on the mound as Hamlin sweeps doubleheader from Aspermont

HAMLIN — Saturday’s District 8-1A doubleheader between Hamlin and Aspermont featured something that Hamlin coach Lynn Turner hadn’t experienced in his career as a head coach, which is saying something after he notched his 400th career win the previous week.

Ian Gruben took a perfect game into the fifth inning of the Pied Pipers’ 10-0 win in the opening game at Rock Field before Isaiah Hutchings threw a no-hitter in the second game as Hamlin rolled to a 15-0 win.

The pair combined for 23 strikeouts while facing 29 batters in the two games, with Hutchings even notching a rare four-strikeout inning.

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by Evan Ren

GAME STORY: Clyde freshman delivers astonishing pitching performance in 6-0 win over Merkel

CLYDE — You know you’re witnessing a masterful pitching performance when fans of the opposition have been reduced to cheering foul balls.  And in Friday’s 6-0 Clyde win over Merkel, CHS hurler Brynli Reynolds delivered exactly that — a game so dominating that any contact made by the opposition was greeted with encouragement. 

To begin with, Reynolds tossed a perfect game against a Merkel team that entered the contest with a 19-1 overall record.  There were no hits, no walks and no Clyde errors while 21 straight Merkel hitters were retired.

But that doesn’t fully illustrate what occurred at Clyde’s Hanner Sports Complex. In fact, it undersells it. 

Reynolds, you see, is only a freshman. And in seven innings of work against a legitimate district title contender, she struck out 20 batters. Not only that, but she fanned the first 17 hitters she faced, with the only ball put into play being a routine groundball out to second base by McKinley Crouch with two outs in the sixth inning.

Lost in all this was an effective pitching performance by Crouch, who allowed four earned runs on eight hits against a 19-0 Clyde team with 11 strikeouts of her own.

The Lady Badgers fell to 19-2 overall and 3-1 in District 6-3A. Clyde is now 6-0 in district. 

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Ferguson dominant again as Abilene High shuts out rival Cooper 7-0

George Ferguson took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before “settling” for a two-hit shutout Friday to lead the Abilene High baseball team team to a 7-0 win over crosstown rival Cooper in a District 4-5A matchup at Cougar Field.

The standout right-hander tallied 12 strikeouts without issuing a walk, pitching around leadoff singles in the sixth and seventh innings to help the Eagles (13-5-1) wrap up the first of three trips through the league play at 4-0.

Behind its hard-throwing starter, AHS took control of the game early, following a one-run second inning with a two-run third to put the Cougars in a hole they had little hope of climbing out of against one of the top junior pitchers in the nation.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Hernandez shines on the mound as Stamford routs Hawley

HAWLEY — Stamford pitcher Alek Hernandez and first baseman Carlos Vega constantly work on the hidden ball trick during practice, but they hadn’t tried it in a game.

Stamford baseball coach Steven Gould has preached to the duo the things that they had to do in order for it to be successful — including in Wednesday’s practice when Hernandez stepped on the mound without the ball.

Friday night, the pair ended a 15-4 win over Hawley in a District 8-2A game by perfectly executing the play for the final out as they caught Jesse Nieto after he had reached on a fielder’s choice.

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by Mike Lee, Special to Big Country Preps

FEATURE: Stephenville football receives nation’s highest academic honor

As impressive as the 2025 Stephenville Yellow Jackets were on the football field – winning the Class 4A Division I state championship with a 16-0 record – they were even more impressive in the classroom.

Stephenville was the undefeated state champion on the football field. The Yellow Jackes were national champions in the classroom.

The Irving-based National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame recently announced Stephenville High School as the national winner of the 2025-26 NFF Hatchell Cup, the highest academic team honor in high school football.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Fast start, strong pitching lift Wylie to district-opening win over rival Cooper

The Wylie softball team kicked off District 4-5A play with an impressive victory Tuesday, riding a fast start at the plate and a strong pitching effort from Avie Faries and Shae McAllister to a 5-2 win over crosstown rival Cooper at the Cougar Field.

The Lady Bulldogs followed a two-run first inning with another run in the second to take a 3-0 lead, and that was all the run support necessary for their two pitchers, who combined to limit the Lady Cougars to four hits and trio of walks in the win.

Faries started and tossed four shutout innings to earn the winning decision before giving way to McAllister, who allowed two runs (one earned) in a three-inning save. Tuesday’s outcome improved Wylie (13-10 overall) to 1-0 in league play, creating an early tie atop the 4-5A standings with Abilene High (13-9-1, 1-0), which defeated Wichita Falls Memorial 7-2 in Tuesday’s other league game.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Wylie uses late offensive outburst to pull away from Cooper, tying Coogs for second in district

Heading into the bottom of the fifth inning at Bulldog Field on Tuesday night, the Cooper and Wylie baseball teams were locked in a 2-2 game that had seen a combined one hit to that point — a first-inning RBI double by Wylie’s Myles McCarty.

That’s when the Wylie offense came to life and propelled the Bulldogs to a 10-2 win as McCarty finished a home run shy of the cycle and drove in five runs while Hudson Tuley added three RBIs.

The win moved the Bulldogs into a tie with Cooper at 2-1 in District 4-5A play, a game behind Abilene High after the Eagles beat Wichita Falls Memorial 5-1 in Tuesday’s other league matchup.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

BREAKING: Fostel’s coaching career drawing to a close as Eula names him lone finalist for superintendent

EULA — When Josh Fostel and his family moved to Eula to become the boys basketball coach for the 2003-04 school year, few people could have imagined that being the final stop of his coaching career.

After posting a career record of 647-209, including 610-189 leading the boys and girls programs at Eula, the reality began to sit in that his coaching career was over as Fostel, 48, was named the lone finalist for the Eula Independent School District’s superintendent position during Monday night’s school board meeting.

Due to state laws, Eula must observe a mandatory 21-day waiting period before making the hiring official.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF WEEK: Jayton’s Stanaland takes this week’s spotlight

Our Big Country Preps Player of the Week earned the accolade on the state’s biggest stage. 

Jayton senior guard Sean Stanaland was a big contributor in several areas for the Jaybirds in a surprisingly easy 78-45 win over Kennard in the Class 1A Division II state title game. This began with the 28 points he scored to help JHS to its third straight championship.

He also pulled down 15 rebounds to go with five assists and three steals as Jayton capped its season with a victory in San Antonio’s Alamodome.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Wylie bounces back from loss to Abilene High with run-rule win over WF Memorial

The Wylie baseball team bounced back from Friday’s 5-0 loss to Abilene High in a major way Saturday afternoon, pounding out 12 hits — seven for extra bases — in a 14-2 home win over Wichita Falls Memorial.

With a turnaround of less than 24 hours between Friday’s District 4-5A opener and Saturday’s matchup with the Mavericks, the Bulldogs weren’t afforded any time to dwell on the loss to the Eagles or the two-hit shutout they faced at the hands of flamethrowing right-hander George Ferguson.

But the immediate return to the field proved beneficial, as Wylie pounded out five first-inning runs on its way to the run-rule victory. Coach Grant Martin’s team would tack on seven more runs in the fourth, making an easy winner of Dylan Regala, who took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, before surrendering pair of runs on a couple of hits and two walks.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Missed opportunities cost Abilene High in 3-2 softball loss to Wolfforth Frenship

Trailing by one with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Abilene High softball team looked poised to rally for a walk-off win over Wolfforth Frenship in its nondistrict finale Friday at the AHS softball field.

But a series of unfortunate events left the Lady Eagles with a 3-2 loss on a frustrating night where missed opportunities were a recurring theme.

AHS had a runner gunned down at the plate in the first inning and failed to cash in on a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fourth, which left the game tied at 1-1 until the top of the sixth, when the Lady Tigers scored a pair of runs to set up the seventh inning’s dramatics. Down 3-1 in their last at-bat, the Lady Eagles didn’t flinch, getting a leadoff single from Jazlynn Johnson-Burns and an RBI double from Avah Reyes around a Leilani Valero walk to narrow the gap to one, but the rally would end there due to an out on the basepaths and back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded.

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by Brandon McAuliffe

GAME STORY: Clutch hitting, Ferguson’s gem lift Abilene High to win over Wylie

With temperatures approaching 90 degrees on Friday afternoon, Abilene High and Wylie took to the field for their hottest baseball games of the season in a District 4-5A tilt at Blackburn Field.

The Eagles saw junior pitcher George Ferguson throw a complete game two-hitter on a season-high 110 pitches as they improved to 2-0 in district play with a 5-0 win over the Bulldogs, who fell to 0-1 in district.

Ferguson battled through cramps on the hot day as he struck out 14 in an effort that coach Brad Harman simply called gutsy.

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by Daniel Youngblood

CLASS 2A DII BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Steed, Gaylor help Lipan avenge title game loss to Martin’s Mill

SAN ANTONIO — Just under a year ago, the Lipan boys basketball team sat dejected in a postgame press conference, reeling from a 55-43 loss to Martin’s Mill in the Class 2A Division II state championship game that kept the Indians from claiming their third straight title.

No one took the loss harder than then-junior Darius Steed — the elder-statesman on a young LHS team, who vowed at the time that he’d go immediately to work to fix the mistakes he made that contributed to that loss and the feelings of disappointment he felt after it.

On Thursday, the 6-foot-7 senior post player made good on his word, dominating the paint and glass as the Indians avenged that defeat with a 47-34 win over the Mustangs at the Alamodome. The victory marked the sixth state championship for the Lipan boys program and the third in four tries for Steed, the lone senior on the Indians roster.

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by Daniel Youngblood

CLASS 1A DII BOYS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: Jayton routs Kennard to complete rare three-peat

SAN ANTONIO — The top-ranked Jayton Jaybirds made history Thursday, blasting Kennard 78-45 in the Class 1A Division II championship game to become the first Class 1A boys basketball team since the early 1980s to claim three consecutive state titles.

The Jaybirds, who were making their fourth straight trip to the Alamodome and sixth since 2019, overwhelmed the state-rookie Tigers, closing the first half on a 14-4 run to build a double-digit lead they would only add to the rest of the way.

The victory made Jayton the first program ever to complete a three-peat on the hardwood while also claiming back-to-back state football championships. And in the process, it further established the senior trio of Bode Ham, Sean Stanaland and Colt Gentry as one of the most successful group of athletes in the history of Texas high school sports.

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by Yale Youngblood, Special to Big Country Preps

GAME STORY: Late surge lifts Dallas Carter over Brock in Class 4A DII state semifinals

ARLINGTON — Amarion Hunter scored 16 points, Terrell Jackson added 14 and a tenacious Dallas Carter defense recorded eight steals as the Cowboys defeated Brock 52-44 in the Class 4A Division II state semifinals Tuesday night.

The victory improved Carter’s record to 30-6 and earned the Cowboys a trip to San Antonio on Friday for a chance to win the state championship. They will play LaMarque, which beat Houston Wheatley 68-67 in the other semifinal game.

The loss snapped a 12-game winning streak for the Eagles, who finished with a 28-10 record.

A sellout crowd at the Arlington ISD Athletic Center saw a great basketball game for most of the evening. But, in the end, it was the end of periods that sealed the Eagles’ fate.

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by Daniel Youngblood

GAME STORY: Top-ranked Jayton rallies from early hole to knock off Whitharral, earn fourth straight state trip

LUBBOCK — The top-ranked Jayton boys basketball team had its mettle tested by Whitharral in its Class 1A Division II state semifinal matchup against the Panthers on Monday at Frenship Memorial’s Panther Pit.

But the Jaybirds showed the type of resolve you’d expect out of a two-time defending state champion, rallying from eight points down in the second quarter to grind out a 41-36 win and earn their fourth straight trip to the state title game in San Antonio.

In a game that saw four ties and 10 lead changes, coach Ryan Bleiker’s squad pulled ahead for good in the final two minutes of the third quarter, before holding off WHS in the fourth to improve to 28-3 on the year. The Jaybirds will now await the result of Tuesday’s matchup between Milford and Kennard to see who they will play for the championship at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Alamodome.

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by Evan Ren

BIG COUNTRY PREPS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: And yet another Gaylor takes our weekly accolade

A week after Lipan’s Court Gaylor took our Big Country Preps Player of the Week award, yet another Lipan player has done the same thing. 

And by sheer coincidence, her last name is Gaylor as well. 

This time around it is freshman guard Sydni Gaylor, Court’s Younger sister, who has taken the accolade after leading the LHS girls to a Class 2A Division II state title in San Antonio on Thursday. 

Helping the Lady Indians to a 42-35 over perennial power Martin’s Mill, Sydni finished with 23 points and was voted by attending media as the game’s MVP. 

And the good news (at least for Lipan) is, this kid is only a freshman. 

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